Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1887-03-16
STAMMERlNG.
What an Elocutionist Says
About Defects in Speech.
Stammering Cured Through the Moral
as Well as tho Physical Nature,

"Sammering, suffering and hcslta-
tion," lady teacher of clocution who
has had under her caro- many young
ladies and gentlemen suffering with |
such defects of speech, said to Wash
ington Star reporter, ''arc due to the
improper use Of the vocal organs. Some
time these three defects arc found to-
gcthcr. Stammcring is the worst diff
Guilty. Sometimes stammcring appears
in one form and sometimes in another;
in fact no two cases arc precisely alike.
The worst prevalent infrmity-it is
really an infrmity-is the wrong use OF
the lip, too much lip you may say. You
sec face that might otherwise be hand
some, disfgurcd by habit of lifting up
the upper lip on one side 50 rs to show
the canine tooth. Another infrmity is
lack Of proper control over the move
mcnts of the tongue. No, not too loose
tongue. The trouble is that the tongue
is not loose enough, not flexible enough.
Very few even among educated people,
speak correctly, that is, ar!icuIatc Eng
llsh sounds correctly and speak pure
English, and yet the people in this coun-
try speak better English than is spoken
in England.
"Whcncvcr any one announces that
he will cure stammering and suffering
by means of artificial appliances, or by
some secret remedy or by drugs of any
kind" sNid the lady, 'you can set him
down as quock. Drugs will no
more cure stammcring than
they will set q limb, for really the
cure of stammcring comes very near
being a surgical operation, in q sense
because it is the restoration Of the vocal
organs 10 their proper functions. The
trouble is with the tongue and the lips
and the closing OF the throat. These
organs become dcnaturalizcd in their
use. Incvcr take a case without having
responsible physician first examine the
throat. After he pronounccs the organs
normal and in proper condition for me
10 WORK, undertake the case. | have
seldom had 4 case in which there was
not some work for the physician to do,
for the reason that the wrong use of the
vocal organs causes them to be diseased.
Bronchitis and throat diseases are in
many cases due to the wrong use of the
organs.
"Thc cure" she went on, "is within
the PERSONS self, and depends upon his
moral as well as hysical nature. You
must lift up his moral nature Most OF
those who suif 7 from these defects you
will notice are loose. knccd and walk with
shambing q it, with heads down, all the
effect of this intirmty. The first thing
try to do is to lift the person up to
make him free, for his moral nature
dominates his physical. Ny system is
simple, philosophical and highly moral
in its nature. No youth can possibly
pass through it without having his moral
as well as physical self benefited. All
sufferers from these defects are exceed
ingly sensitive, one Of the results of their
inlirmity. 10 a person Of culture and re-
tincmcnt such an intirmity is more ter
riblc.
lis almost impossible to know what
causes the defects. | ask parents always
when they bring cases to me, if they
can tell what caused it. Some say that
it came from fcvc' and variety OF sup.
posed causes arc given. Sometimes it
is the effect Of imitation. 1t is frequent
Iy known to exist in families for several
generations. Defects of this character
! when inherited are harder TO cure, and
when inherited from the mother, the
hardest Of all. The most difficult case l
ever had was one Of this kind. 1t is
thought by many who have not in
formed themselves that stammcrine is
caused by nervousness. II that were true
nearly all women and great many men
and children would stammr. On tho
contrary, however, it Is proved clearly
that the stammcring or defect in speech
causes the nervousness. am of the
opinion from observation that the habit
is very in(rcqucntly contractc by imita-
tiOn, for the reason that often one child
in a family will stamm2r and tho Others
will not. The older brother perhaps
will have the defect and not one of the
other children will stammcr though
they have been together always. What
ever the cause when a cure is once cs-
tublishc | there is no more danger of a
return of the defect or habit, than there
is of its occurrence in person who never
stammcrcd at ALL"